-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A woman facing possible stoning and one of her lawyers argue that Iran is mischaracterizing the status of adultery and murder charges against her .

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and attorney Hootan Kian say even though Ashtiani was cleared of her husband 's murder five years ago , Iran continues to insist she was found guilty .

`` They 're lying , '' Ashtiani told the Guardian newspaper through an intermediary Friday . `` They are embarrassed by the international attention on my case and they are desperately trying to distract attention and confuse the media so that they can kill me in secret . ''

Iran suspended the death by stoning after there was international outcry over the sentence , but may reinstate it in coming days .

`` I was found guilty of adultery -LSB- in 2006 -RSB- and was acquitted of murder , but the man who actually killed my husband was identified and imprisoned but he is not sentenced to death , '' Ashtiani said . She insists Iran wants her stoned because she is a woman .

In a letter written to the International Committee against Stoning and sent Saturday to CNN , Kian argued the Iranian judicial system has mishandled Ashtiani 's case .

`` If murder was proven , my client would have been executed and there would have been no need to stone her to death , '' Kian wrote . `` Based on Islamic Penal Code , the punishments for murder and adultery should have been combined in one case and sentence and handled by Branch 12 of the Tabriz Province Court . Whereas this was not the case . The branch has no records of sentencing my client to murder . ''

Last month , Malek Ajdar Sharifi , who is the head of the judiciary of East Azerbaijan province , said Ashtiani 's crimes were `` numerous '' and said she was `` convicted of adultery and murder and was sentenced to death , '' according to the official news agency IRNA .

`` Because of morality and ethics , I can not go into the details of the crimes , but if the public knew , they would understand the criminal nature of them , '' he said , according to IRNA . `` But she killed her husband , brutally and gruesomely , and the detective on the scene said that if she had beheaded her husband it would have been better than what they actually saw . ''

Ashtiani , 43 , a mother of two , is being held in a Tabriz prison . Iran 's judiciary could reinstate her sentence of death by stoning , execute her by other means , or possibly even grant her a reprieve , according to human rights groups .

Mina Ahadi , spokeswoman for the International Committee against Stoning , said if Ashtiani is executed , `` it is entirely political . It has nothing to do with the case itself . ''

`` Now that Iran is under this international pressure , they have brought the case up that convicts her of the murder of her husband , '' Ahadi said Saturday .

Kian 's letter said the man actually convicted in the death of Ashtiani 's husband , `` admitted in the branch that he administered the electrifying of Mr. -LSB- Ebrahim -RSB- Ghaderzadeh himself with his own hands three times and each time the deceased received electrical shock . ''

The lawyer also challenged the adultery conviction .

`` It completely violated the spirit of the laws of the Islamic Republic , '' Kian writes .

Ashtiani 's other lawyer , Mohammad Mostafaei , is being protected by European diplomats after he fled to Turkey from Iran .

Mostafaei claims Iranian authorities tried to arrest him without cause .

CNN 's Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report .

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Iranian woman may be executed by stoning

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Ashtiani says she was cleared in her husband 's murder

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Her attorney claims the murder was not proven

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Iranian official says Ashtiani guilty of numerous crimes